Lawyers representing Sean “Diddy” Combs argue that his prison sentence is excessively harsh, claiming the judge punished him for charges on which he was acquitted.
In a legal filing submitted Friday, Diddy’s team highlighted that a jury had cleared him of sex trafficking and RICO charges, yet he received a sentence they say is about four times higher than what is typical for his Mann Act convictions related to prostitution.
Describing the 50-month sentence as a “perversion of justice,” his attorneys assert that the judge relied on “acquitted conduct” a practice where a sentence is increased based on allegations that a jury has already rejected which has faced widespread criticism in legal circles.
The legal team is asking an appeals court to order Diddy’s immediate release and either grant a full acquittal or send the case back for resentencing.
Diddy was acquitted of the major federal charges last year after a two-month trial but was found guilty on two counts of transportation for the purpose of prostitution in July.
Months later, Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced him to 50 months behind bars, a decision Diddy’s lawyers argue essentially made the judge act as a “thirteenth juror.”
